Why Steven Spielberg Refuses to Collaborate with Julia Roberts

Steven Spielberg and Julia Roberts had a tumultuous working relationship during the production of the 1991 fantasy-adventure film, Hook.

Reports suggest that Roberts was challenging to work with, leading some on set to nickname her character, Tinkerbell, as “TinkerHell.”

Both Spielberg and Roberts have opened up about their time on Hook in subsequent years, and neither recalls it fondly.

However, this might be attributed to personal struggles they were facing at the time.

Spielberg admitted that he was concerned about the script and lacked confidence, while Roberts was going through a difficult breakup with actor Keifer Sutherland.

Interestingly, Roberts' real-life relationship mirrored the invasion of privacy depicted in her successful film, Notting Hill.

Her relationship with Sutherland began to deteriorate after a tabloid story revealed that he had spent a night with a young dancer.

Just days before their wedding, Roberts called it off.

Reflecting on his experience working with Roberts, Spielberg acknowledged that it was an “unfortunate time” for her.

He believed that she was going through one of the most challenging periods in her life during the filming of Hook.

Spielberg attributed their strained relationship to bad timing and circumstances.

However, despite downplaying their feud, he remains firm in his decision never to collaborate with her again.

In an interview with 60 Minutes, Spielberg praised Roberts as a talented actress but unequivocally stated that he would not work with her again when asked directly.

Rumors from the set reveal that Roberts would isolate herself in her trailer for extended periods and frequently arrive late to shoot her scenes.

These alleged actions made Spielberg contemplate replacing her.

However, Roberts has a different recollection of her time on Hook.

She claims that she often waited in her trailer for hours before being called to set.

Roberts expressed frustration, saying, “If I'm sitting in my trailer for six hours doing nothing, I'm going to say: ‘What the f**k is going on?'”

She acknowledged Spielberg's comments in an interview with Vanity Fair, describing the experience as “difficult” to shoot a movie while dealing with personal troubles and hearing that Spielberg was dissatisfied with her.

In an interview with Barbara Walters, she refuted the accusations of misbehavior on set.